Miami Hurricanes football has extended offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman following the program’s first national championship appearance in over two decades.
The Hurricanes finished the season very strong on both sides of the ball, and now they have their coordinators locked in on multi-year contracts.
Dawson, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Houston, has been with Miami since 2023. In his three seasons, the Hurricanes have ranked 39th, first, and 35th in points per game.
His most prolific season was in 2024, as quarterback Cam Ward led Miami to a top ranked national offense that averaged almost 44 points per game. Dawson helped develop Ward to eventually become the number one pick of the 2025 draft.
Dawson was reportedly in the mix for multiple head coaching jobs, most notably Tulane and Coastal Carolina. But, he chose to remain in Coral Gables.
He will have his fourth signal caller in four years next season in Duke transfer Darian Mensah while maintaining standout running back Mark Fletcher and wideout Malachi Toney.
On the defensive side of the ball, Hetherman led his unit to the fifth best defense in the country, allowing 14.8 points and 89.3 rushing yards per game. In 2025, he was a finalist for the Broyles Coaching Award, an honor given to the best assistant coach in college football.
Under defensive coordinator Lance Guidry in 2024, Miami ranked 68th in defense, surrendering 25.3 points and 327 total yards per game.
Coming off a top-10 season as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Hetherman joined Miami in the same role.
Hetherman received interest from the college football world for a head coaching position and from the NFL for defensive coordinator roles before deciding to return to Miami for the 2026 season.
He helped lead the top defensive line in the country, as Reuben Bain and Akeem Mesidor are both projected to be first-round picks in the NFL draft later this month.
In 2026, Hetherman will look to continue the dominance of the defense with the return of defensive back Bryce Fitzgerlad and linebacker Mohammed Toure while adding Missouri transfer Damon Wilson and Boston College transfer Omar Thorton.
With both coordinators returning, Miami positions itself to sustain the momentum from 2025 and find its way back to the summit of college football.
